Dragon Raja; Chapter 29: Golden Eyes (4)

Dragon Raja

In the painting, the sky was an iron blue color mixed with flames. A single massive tree stood, its dead branches extending in all directions, weaving a dense web that supported the cracked sky. On the barren land below lay countless bones, and a colossal black beast was rising from the pile of bones. Its wings were covered with skulls, and it stretched its massive membranous wings, roaring up at the sky, spewing black flames.

A piercing roar echoed in Lu Mingfei’s mind. He even felt as if he could hear the beast’s howl.

“A dragon?” Lu Mingfei’s voice trembled.

“Yes, a dragon. More precisely, the Dragon King Nidhogg. According to Norse mythology, recorded in the Poetic Edda, it will gnaw through the roots of the World Tree Yggdrasil during Ragnarok. On that day, the world will be destroyed.” Professor Guderian’s finger swept over the neatly arranged antique books on the bookshelf. “If you understand Latin, you could understand the names of these books—The Genealogy of Dragons, Dragon and Yanling, The Key of Solomon, On Dragon Bloodlines, Dragon Genetics… These are the results of our millennia of research. Generations have sought out dragons, studied dragons, and Cassell College is the culmination of that effort. At Cassell College, you can choose disciplines such as Alchemical Engineering, Magic Machine Design, or Dragon Scion Theory. The ultimate purpose of all courses is…” He looked directly into Lu Mingfei’s eyes. “To slay dragons!”

“S-Slay dragons?”

“Slay dragons,” Professor Guderian nodded. “In places unknown to you, this task has been ongoing for thousands of years. Humanity has written a history without dragons, but in another hidden history, dragons appear in every line. However, this secret is so shocking that if it were leaked, the consequences would be unpredictable. Therefore, several families, whom we call the ‘Bloodline Clans,’ have held this secret together over the past millennia and bore the mission of slaying dragons. They have raised descendants skilled in combat, sorcery, magic, and alchemy, sending them to the battlefield to slay dragons and bury every attempt at the dragon race’s resurgence. To this day, Cassell College carries on their legacy.”

“L-Legacy?”

“Yes, because the once-great dragon-slaying families have mostly disappeared throughout history. In modern times, we can no longer rely on family heritage. We need to introduce modern educational mechanisms.” Professor Guderian extended his hand to Lu Mingfei. “Welcome to Cassell College, Lu Mingfei!”

“N-No… Can you not just say ‘welcome’ without letting people decide first? Is your college a specialized training school for dragon slayers? Come on!” Lu Mingfei’s face twitched. “Can we not joke like this? What is this? The opening cutscene for a new Dragon Quest game? How did I end up in your cutscene? Could you give me a portal out of here?”

With a deafening crash, the entire train shook, and all the lights flickered out, plunging them into darkness.

“Hey, did the train crash into a mountain?” Lu Mingfei patted himself all over. It seemed he wasn’t hurt. “Anyone injured? Does anyone know where the candles are?”

“Lu Mingfei, what they said is all true,” someone said softly in the darkness.

The lights flickered back on, revealing the same luxurious train and the same leather sofa. But Professor Guderian and Finger were gone. When Lu Mingfei turned his head, the boy he had seen in his dream at the Chicago train station was sitting beside him.

“You—you—you… where did you get on?” Lu Mingfei stammered.

“I was always on the train, just like you, waiting,” the boy said calmly.

“You sound like a vengeful spirit…” Lu Mingfei said.

“Look outside,” the boy said, “Welcome to… the land of dragons!”

Lu Mingfei followed his gaze out the window, and his pupils suddenly widened. Faced with that scene, he lost even the strength to breathe.

It was no longer the pitch-black night. The train was running at high speed on the vast ice field. The white and slightly blue ice covered the mountain that seemed to pierced the sky. The sky was a blood-red hue, with a torrential downpour. Every raindrop was crimson, flowing down the window. Atop one of those icy peaks lay the giant dragon from the painting, its wings hanging down to the mountain’s base. The thick stench of blood stained the entire peak red. Crowds of people were climbing up the dragon’s wings. Those who reached the peak gathered around the dragon’s head, driving sharp iron stakes into its skull, hammering with all their might. Each time they opened a hole, a white liquid would spurt out like a fountain, evaporating instantly into thick white vapor. The people cheered, their voices echoing across the mountain.

“Nidhogg, the Black Dragon King. Thousands of years ago, he was killed on his own throne. His throne is that mountain, forever covered in ice and snow. His enormous corpse was left atop the mountain, his wings hanging down to the foot. His blood, flowing like magma, dyed the entire mountain red, melting the snow, sending blood-colored vapor into the sky, forming dark red clouds, and raining crimson drops. Those who killed him bathed in the rain and cheered, calling that day the ‘New Era,’” the boy said softly.

“My… god!” Lu Mingfei listened to the distant sound of hammers striking the iron stakes, trembling.

“This is the oldest emperor not recorded in history. The day he died, the world rejoiced,” the boy said calmly.

He seemed to take great pleasure in those hammering sounds, closing his eyes and silently savoring them, a slight smile appearing on his face.

“How wonderful. If not for that day, the world wouldn’t be the way it is now.” He opened his eyes and looked at Lu Mingfei.

For some reason, Lu Mingfei felt that there was an immense sadness in his smile.

Sadness that had lasted… for thousands of years.

“Are you… familiar with that black dragon?” Lu Mingfei cautiously asked.

“No, not at all. Quite the opposite,” the boy said softly. “I was the one who wanted to kill him the most. No one in this world wanted to kill him more than I did!”

Lu Mingfei opened his eyes and found himself lying on a leather bench, covered with a blanket. It was an elegantly decorated study, surrounded by bookshelves, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Lu Mingfei sat up and looked around. Not far away, Professor Guderian was dozing off at the desk.

“You’re awake?” Professor Guderian lifted his disheveled head.

“Where am I? Did we crash? All I remember is a loud rumble,” Lu Mingfei said, pressing his forehead, feeling a blood vessel throbbing inside.

“We’ve arrived at Cassell College. Everything went smoothly, so how could we have crashed? You were too frightened during the orientation and fainted, so we had to carry you off the train…” Professor Guderian said. “Some students have been shocked during orientation before, but your reaction is truly unprecedented. Are you that afraid of dragons?” Guderian spread his hands. “In essence, they’re just a powerful species.”

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